Peyton Watson Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Northwest Notes: Nuggets, Murray, Jazz, Sexton, SGA

November 3rd, 2024 at 11:59am CST by Arthur Hill

Concerns about the Nuggets‘ depth appear to be justified so far, writes Bennett Durando of The Denver Post. Although Christian Braun has played well in his promotion into the starting five, the team has been left with a lot of questions off its bench.

Part of the problem is unfamiliarity, Durando adds. Julian Strawther has been added to the rotation, while Michael Porter Jr. is adapting to a new staggered role that has him seeing more time with the second unit. Russell Westbrook and Dario Saric were offseason additions in free agency, and Peyton Watson missed the entire preseason with a hamstring injury.

“Too early to be trying to figure out if and what doesn’t work,” Westbrook said. “You don’t know what’s gonna work. You’ve gotta give a healthy dose of kind of seeing what’s what, and then you go from there.”

Rebuilding the bench was an offseason priority after the Nuggets seemed to run out of gas in the playoffs as coach Michael Malone had to lean heavily on his starters. That pattern is already repeating itself, as Durando points out that the starting unit logged 104 minutes together in the first four games.

“We’ve gotta figure something out with that bench unit,” Malone said after an overtime win in Brooklyn this week. “And it’s a fine line of, ‘Hey, we’ve gotta give it time, but how much time can you give it before you start looking at different options?’ And that’s kind of what we’re still evaluating. … Plenty of basketball to be played. I always make sure I challenge myself and ask myself, ‘Am I helping Russell Westbrook and Julian Strawther and Peyton Watson and Dario Saric?’ So it’s not just on those players. It’s on myself to try to figure that out.”

There’s more from the Northwest Division:

Nuggets guard Jamal Murray is likely to be sidelined a few more days after entering concussion protocol following Friday’s game, tweets Vinny Benedetto of The Denver Post. “I think he did some cardio tonight,” Malone said Saturday. “We’ll see how he reacts to that, but I think the usual timeline is maybe five to seven days, but, once again, he took a really nasty hit, so we’ll be smart about that. … As much as we want Jamal back, his well-being is a lot more important.”
Poor shooting is behind a historically bad start for the Jazz, per Andy Larsen of The Salt Lake Tribune. Utah is the NBA’s only winless team at 0-6 and has dropped its last five games by a combined 110 points, making it the worst stretch in franchise history. They rank last in the league in three-point shooting and are 29th in two-point percentage.
Jazz guard Collin Sexton suffered a fracture to his left ring finger on Thursday, but he plans to keep playing by taping it to another finger, Larsen adds. “From all accounts, Collin doesn’t feel pain,” coach Will Hardy said.
During Saturday’s visit to Los Angeles, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who has developed into an MVP candidate in Oklahoma City, reflected on the 2019 trade that sent him from the Clippers to the Thunder, tweets Ramona Shelburne of ESPN. “I had a great year here when I was here,” he said. “Their front office made a trade that they thought was best for their team. Same with the Thunder. Then the last five years I’ve tried to focus on my development and the team’s development. I’ve tried to be the best basketball player I can be for the Oklahoma City Thunder. And I’d say it worked out in my favor.”

Nuggets Rumors: Booth, Malone, Jokic, Murray, George, KCP

November 1st, 2024 at 11:04am CST by Rory Maher

In an interesting feature story, which is worth reading in full, ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne explores the philosophical “disconnect” developing within the Nuggets as they try to capitalize on Nikola Jokic‘s remaining prime years.

As Shelburne writes, Denver has lost four veteran role players — Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Bruce Brown, Jeff Green and Reggie Jackson — from the team that won the championship in 2023. General manager Calvin Booth acknowledges those departures have created some internal tension between the players and coaching staff and the front office.

“There was this urge to compete, especially from the players and the coaches and even myself,” Booth told ESPN. “You want to win, especially coming off the heels of winning the championship. And that’s probably where the tension started.

“What are you guys trying to do? Are you trying to win? Are you trying to develop? I think everybody had the best intent going in. There was buy-in. But I think competition and the focus on that can distract you from the buy-in.”

Multiple sources tell Shelburne that the Nuggets have been discussing a contract extension with Booth for months, and a deal is expected to be reached soon. Booth has largely focused on finding young players on affordable contracts to build out the Nuggets’ depth due to the roster-building restrictions of the new tax aprons, but head coach Michael Malone has typically turned to more proven veterans.

Shelburne points to big man Zeke Nnaji as “perhaps the best example” of the disconnect between Booth and Malone. After the Nuggets signed him to a four-year, $32MM rookie scale extension last offseason, the 23-year-old Nnaji saw his minutes and effectiveness decline in 2023/24, and he has only played two minutes through the first four games of this season.

Here’s more on the Nuggets, all courtesy of Shelburne:

For his part, Jokic declined to weigh in on any strain between the front office and coaching staff regarding the team’s roster construction, telling Shelburne, “That’s not my job.” However, forward Michael Porter Jr. says players are well aware that the team could look much different next offseason, depending on how the Nuggets perform in 2024/25. “If we don’t win it this year,” Porter told ESPN. “We all know they might have to break it up.”
A team source told Shelburne that guard Jamal Murray “was basically on one leg” by the end of last season’s playoffs, which saw Denver fall to Minnesota in the second round. After he struggled in the postseason and Olympics, the Nuggets signed Murray to a four-year, maximum-salary extension. They thought he’d enter training camp “with something to prove,” but sources tell Shelburne there has been some concern with his early-season struggles, particularly with his shot and conditioning level.
According to Shelburne’s sources, the Nuggets checked in on Paul George‘s availability this offseason while he was still a member of the Clippers, but Denver was unwilling to include former first-round picks Christian Braun, Peyton Watson or Julian Strawther in those talks, and the Clips had no interest in taking back long-term salary. Shelburne suggests Denver offered Porter and Nnaji for George.
Shelburne also hears from sources who say the Nuggets could have received either Tim Hardaway Jr. or Josh Green in a sign-and-trade with the Mavericks that would have sent Kentavious Caldwell-Pope to Dallas. The Nuggets declined, and the Mavericks ended up trading both of those players in separate sign-and-trades involving Quentin Grimes and Klay Thompson, while Caldwell-Pope signed with the Magic as a free agent.

Nuggets Notes: Westbrook, Clippers, Jokic, Malone, Fouls

October 27th, 2024 at 1:47pm CST by Rory Maher

Russell Westbrook‘s debut with the Nuggets — a 15-point home loss to the Thunder on Thursday — wasn’t ideal. The former league MVP recorded six points, five rebounds, five assists, one steal and two blocks in 21 minutes, but he shot just 2-of-10 from the floor (1-of-6 from three-point range) and 1-of-4 from the foul line, and Denver was outscored by 24 points when he was on the court.

As Law Murray of The Athletic writes, Saturday’s five-point home loss to the Clippers was a reminder of why L.A. wanted to move on from Westbrook over the offseason. Although he made some impressive defensive plays, including two steals and one block, he went 0-of-8 from the floor, only scoring two points on a pair of free throws, with one rebound and two assists. The Nuggets were minus-13 in his 19 minutes.

Kris Dunn, whom the Clips acquired for Westbrook in a sign-and-trade with Utah (Westbrook was subsequently waived by the Jazz; that’s how he signed with the Nuggets), finished with 11 points (on 4-of-6 shooting) and six rebounds in 19 minutes. Denver’s bench unit — Westbrook, Julian Strawther, Peyton Watson and Dario Saric only scored 11 points (on 3-of-18 shooting) and had five rebounds in 58 combined minutes.

That’s not to say the Clippers didn’t appreciate Westbrook’s time with the team. According to Murray, the nine-time All-Star is “beloved by many” members of the organization, and he had some great games in the 2023 postseason. But after trading for James Harden last fall, Westbrook’s on-court fit became awkward at times, and he struggled mightily in the 2024 playoffs vs. Dallas. Paul George — Westbrook’s strongest internal supporter — leaving for Philadelphia in free agency also played a factor in the Clippers trading Westbrook, Murray notes.

Here’s more on the Nuggets:

Three-time MVP Nikola Jokic raised concerns about Denver’s outside shooting following the loss to Oklahoma City. On Saturday, he nearly single-handedly got the Nuggets back into the game by converting a career-high seven three-pointers and scoring a game-high 41 points, according to Bennett Durando of The Denver Post. However, the Nuggets failed to hold a slim lead down the stretch, and were torched by Clippers guard Norman Powell, who scored 22 of his 37 points in the fourth quarter.
Head coach Michael Malone took responsibility for Powell’s fourth-quarter explosion, Durando adds. “Norman Powell kicked our (butts) in the fourth. … We continued to foul jump-shooters. Lack of discipline there,” Malone said. “That’s concerning because the same guys are making the same mistakes over and over. And if a guy is considered a run-off, we can’t let him keep shooting 3s. … But as I told our team, when a guy has a fourth quarter like that, it’s on me to make sure that we’re doing something to get the ball out of his hands. And I didn’t do that. So I take ownership for that, and I have to do a better job.”
Will the Nuggets benefit if NBA referees continue calling fewer fouls like they did at the end of last season? Durando explores that topic in a subscriber-only story for The Denver Post.

Northwest Notes: Nuggets, Caruso, Holmgren, Randle

October 25th, 2024 at 10:00am CST by Arthur Hill

Offseason concerns about the Nuggets‘ shooting played out in an opening-night loss to Oklahoma City, writes Tony Jones of The Athletic. Denver shot 7-of-39 from beyond the arc and scored just 87 points as the Thunder pulled away in a battle of two of the West’s elite teams. Nikola Jokic admitted there are offensive issues that have to be worked out.

“We are not a good shooting team, I think, except probably (Michael Porter Jr.) and Jamal (Murray),” Jokic told reporters. “All of us are kind of streaky. Not streaky, you know, but just average shooters.”

OKC opted to throw frequent double teams at Jokic while daring players such as Christian Braun, Russell Westbrook and Peyton Watson to beat them from the outside, Jones adds. He notes that the Nuggets only got 16 points from their bench and often looked slower and less athletic than the Thunder.

Jones suggests that coach Michael Malone may need to consider breaking up his starting five and using Porter off the bench to provide a shooting threat for the second unit. However, Malone doesn’t sound ready to make drastic changes after one loss.

“The bottom line is that I have to figure out a way to get Julian (Strawther) going,” he said. “I have to figure out a way to get Dario Saric going. So you definitely have to take a lot of factors into account. I think the more our guys play together, the better off we will be.”

There’s more from the Northwest Division:

Alex Caruso‘s impact on the Thunder‘s defense was evident in his first game, observes Anthony Slater of The Athletic. Even though he went scoreless in 19 minutes, Caruso repeatedly found ways to disrupt Denver’s offense. Coach Mark Daigneault said that during a walkthrough after the morning shootaround, Caruso was already his most knowledgeable player on how to attack the Nuggets. “He’s on the side and he’s calling out what we should be doing,” Daigneault said. “Contact switch. Rotate this way. His fingerprints are all over everything.”
Chet Holmgren got bigger and stronger during the offseason, which should be helpful as he spends more time at center, Slater adds. Free agent addition Isaiah Hartenstein is out until at least December with a broken left hand and backups Jaylin Williams and Kenrich Williams are also currently sidelined. “I think it’s a testament to what he’s done with his body,” Daigneault said. “He just played minute for minute with Jokic, who is very physical, and didn’t flinch, almost got stronger … What he did minute for minute with Jokic is not to be taken lightly.”
After looking tentative in his Timberwolves debut, Julius Randle was back in All-Star form Thursday night with 33 points, five rebounds and four assists in a win at Sacramento, per Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic. It was only Randle’s second game since injuring his shoulder last winter, and that type of production shows why the Wolves were willing to part with Karl-Anthony Towns to acquire him from New York. “We told him this morning, don’t fit around us, we’re going to fit around you,” Anthony Edwards said. “He showed us today.”

Nuggets Notes: Murray, Jokic, Gordon, Saric, Watson

October 20th, 2024 at 4:50pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

If they have any hope of winning their second title in three seasons, the 2o24/25 Nuggets need star point guard Jamal Murray to be the best version of himself, opines Troy Renck of The Denver Post.

Even though Murray has battled injuries in recent years and submitted an underwhelming performance for Team Canada in the 2024 Olympics, Denver moved forward on a four-year, maximum-salary contract extension with him during the offseason.

Murray was highly effective in his 59 healthy games last season, averaging 21.2 points, 6.5 assists, 4.1 rebounds, and 1.0 steal per contest.

With Murray, three-time MVP center Nikola Jokic, and forward Michael Porter Jr. all signed to maximum deals — and power forward Aaron Gordon likely in line for a raise on a potential extension — the Nuggets may be locked into their current core for a while.

There’s more out of Denver:

Far beyond the purview of the Nuggets’ fanbase in Denver, Nikola Jokic‘s greatness has reached international superstar levels, writes Bennett Durando of The Denver Nuggets. The 6’11” big man’s superstardom was on display during a pair of recent preseason games in Abu Dhabi, when he was very much the star of the show.
New veteran Nuggets big man signing Dario Saric is already impressing teammate Aaron Gordon, per DNVR Sports (YouTube video link).“So excited to play with Dario,” Gordon said. “He’s a hell of a talent, so versatile. [He] does multiple things on the floor — can pass the ball, can shoot the ball, can score, can defend, can play big, can play small… I don’t think you guys understand how big of an impact that he will have on this team, playing that backup center, playing that backup four.”
Still dealing with a hamstring strain, intriguing young Nuggets reserve swingman Peyton Watson was able to fully partake in team practice Sunday for the first time in five weeks, reports Durando in another article. “We’ll see how that injury and how that muscle reacts to what he did today,” head coach Michael Malone said following the practice. “Because tomorrow, the hope is to introduce some more things offensively. … I want to blow it out tomorrow. We’ll be on the main court, which will be nice to finally get on the main court and play, maybe, three or four 12-minute quarters. And the hope is that Peyton feels good enough to be able to get through at least some of those (quarters) tomorrow.”

Nuggets Pick Up 2025/26 Options On Braun, Strawther, Watson

October 10th, 2024 at 11:04am CST by Dana Gauruder

The Nuggets have picked up the 2025/26 rookie scale team options for Christian Braun, Julian Strawther and Peyton Watson, the team announced (via Twitter).

The front office’s decisions on their contracts come as no surprise, since the trio will all play prominent roles in Denver this season. Braun and Strawther are battling for the starting job vacated by Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, while Watson is one of the team’s top reserves.

Braun’s fourth-year option is worth $4,921,797, while Strawther’s third-year option is worth $2,674,148. The fourth-year option on Watson’s contract is pegged at $4,356,476.

Those were the only option decisions Denver needed to make before the Oct. 31 deadline.

Braun and Watson will be eligible for rookie scale extensions next offseason. The Nuggets will have until the end of October 2025 to make a decision on Strawther’s fourth-year option for 2026/27.

Western Notes: Nuggets, Westbrook, Clippers, Lakers, Pelicans, Meeks

September 29th, 2024 at 7:15pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Among the noteworthy developments revealed during the press conferences held by Nuggets general manager Calvin Booth and coach Michael Malone on Thursday was that the team is open to adding a 3-point shooter by the trade deadline, according to Bennett Durando of the Denver Post.

“We are riding a fine line with our shooting when you have Russell Westbrook, Aaron Gordon and Peyton Watson all in your rotation,” Booth said. “And I think Christian (Braun) should be left out of that conversation when he shoots 42.9% above the break last year. But it is gonna be a fine line. It’s something we have to monitor. If we need to address our shooting at the trade deadline, we’ll do it.”

Another interesting tidbit is that Westbrook wasn’t mentioned as a potential starter, but he could be in the closing lineup.

We have more from the Western Conference:

The Clippers have plenty of concerns heading into training camp, among them Kawhi Leonard‘s health status and whether James Harden can take an even bigger role at age 35 after the departures of Paul George and Westbrook. The Orange County Register’s Janis Carr explores five major storylines for the club.
The five-storyline motif was also the subject of Khobi Price’s preview of Lakers camp for the Register. Among the topics he dove into were Anthony Davis‘ usage, Jarred Vanderbilt‘s injury status and first-rounder Dalton Knecht‘s role.
Former NBA guard Jodie Meeks has been added to the Pelicans’ coaching staff, according to a team press release. The Pelicans announced a number of other staff additions and promotions. Former WNBA star Swin Cash has been promoted to senior VP of basketball operations and Rohan Ramadas has been elevated to senior director of analytics and innovation. New Orleans also officially announced Dan Geriot as an assistant coach and Greg Monroe as a player development assistant.

Injury Notes: Walter, M. Williams, Lyles, McLaughlin, Watson

September 28th, 2024 at 1:14pm CST by Luke Adams

Raptors wing Ja’Kobe Walter, the No. 19 pick in this year’s draft, has been diagnosed with an AC joint sprain in his right shoulder, the team announced in a press release on Friday.

According to the Raptors, Walter – who sustained the injury during informal workouts this week – won’t be able to take part in on-court activities during training camp. An update on the rookie’s status will be provided by the club after camp has ended.

While it doesn’t necessarily sound as if Walter’s absence will be a long-term one, Toronto is now dealing with a pair of injuries on the wing that could impact the team’s depth in the early going. Bruce Brown underwent arthroscopic knee surgery on Thursday and was ruled out for at least three weeks.

Here are a few more injury-related notes from around the NBA:

Hornets center Mark Williams, who missed much of the 2023/24 season due to a back issue, strained a tendon in his left foot during an offseason workout on Thursday, according to a press release from the team. Williams will be sidelined through training camp and will be reevaluated in two weeks, the club said in its statement.
The Kings announced on Friday that a pair of veterans won’t be available for training camp, as James Ham of The Kings Beat relays (via Twitter). Forward Trey Lyles will be reevaluated in approximately three weeks after straining his left groin during offseason workouts, while newcomer Jordan McLaughlin has been diagnosed with a grade 2 right ankle sprain and will be reexamined in about two weeks.
Nuggets guard Peyton Watson is dealing with a soft-tissue hamstring injury and likely won’t suit up for either of the team’s first two preseason games in Abu Dhabi next weekend, per Bennett Durando of The Denver Post (subscriber link). “I think it’s really important that we’re smart about his injury, his rehab, his recovery,” head coach Michael Malone said. “Because as much as we want him playing these games, the season opener in probably about four weeks is more important.”

Nuggets Notes: Westbrook, Watson, Braun, Murray, Gordon

September 14th, 2024 at 5:25pm CST by Arthur Hill

Russell Westbrook was already a hero to many of the young Nuggets players before he joined the team in free agency this summer, writes Bennett Durando of The Denver Post. While they were learning to play the game, Westbrook was a star in Oklahoma City, displaying an intensity and competitiveness that was easy to admire.

“He was just a huge inspiration for me from the passion he plays with,” Peyton Watson said, “being himself unapologetically, and just being somebody who I feel like always leaves it out there on the floor. … As far back as I can remember watching basketball, really, I’ve been watching the energy and the passion that he played with, knowing that he came from damn near down the street from where I’m from (in Long Beach, California).”

Christian Braun also cites Westbrook as an important influence on his basketball development. Westbrook has already shown himself to be a good teammate to Braun on one important issue, according to Durando, agreeing to take No. 4 as his uniform number instead of asking for Braun’s No. 0 and imploring fans to “leave our young star alone.”

“Downhill. Athletic. Tough. Mean. In-your-face,” Braun says of Westbrook’s playing style. “… Those are the type of guys I loved, and I learned from.”

There’s more from Denver:

Kevin Pelton of ESPN declined to give a grade to Jamal Murray‘s new four-year max extension, but he speculates that the Nuggets must have encouraging information about Murray’s health to agree to the deal. The contract is projected to be worth nearly $208MM and will run through the 2028/29 season. Pelton notes that it eliminates worries about Murray leaving in free agency next summer and states that it will be a wise investment if he continues to produce at the level he did last season.
After finalizing the deal with Murray, the next step should be a long-term contract for Aaron Gordon, contends Sean Keeler of The Denver Post. Keeler sees Gordon as a perfect complement to Murray and Nikola Jokic, providing much-needed athleticism and a strong defensive presence as well as a high basketball IQ. Gordon has a $22.8MM player option for the 2025/26 season, and Keeler advises the Nuggets to work out an extension before he has the chance to test free agency.
Denver’s media day could be among the most interesting in the league, Marc Stein states in his latest Substack article (subscriber only). In addition to Murray’s extension, topics should include how much help Westbrook can provide at this point in his career and coach Michael Malone‘s rumored dissatisfaction with the front office after losing Bruce Brown and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope in free agency in consecutive summers.

Northwest Notes: Dillingham, Wolves, Hendricks, Nuggets

July 19th, 2024 at 2:32pm CST by Rory Maher

Timberwolves guard Rob Dillingham, the No. 8 overall pick of last month’s draft, has been receiving advice from Mike Conley and John Wall as he prepares for his rookie season, writes Chris Hine of The Star Tribune.

Dillingham said he reached out to new teammate Conley for defensive advice. As for Wall, the former All-Star point guard is a North Carolina native who went to Kentucky, just like Dillingham.

“That’s my guy,” Dillingham said of Wall. “He been knowing me, texting me and stuff. At Kentucky, he came to all our games. I just hit him after the [Pelicans] game. I was super mad because I didn’t play that well. I just hit him, and he was just telling me to play my game.”

Here’s more from the Northwest:

Michael Rand and Hine of The Star Tribune recently discussed which Timberwolves players participating in Summer League have the best odds of becoming rotation members in the future. Despite struggling so far in Las Vegas, Dillingham will be given “every chance” to be Conley’s backup at point guard next season, according to Rand and Hine, who also expect fellow first-rounder Terrence Shannon to carve out rotation minutes in 2024/25. Former second-round pick Leonard Miller has impressed at Summer League, but he’s more likely to contribute in 2025/26 than ’24/25, per Rand and Hine.
Second-year Jazz forward Taylor Hendricks bounced back with a strong performance at Summer League on Wednesday after struggling on Monday, notes Andy Larsen of The Salt Lake Tribune. A lottery pick last year (No. 9 overall), Hendricks contributed 23 points (on 9-of-10 shooting), nine rebounds, one steal and one block. “I think he was just more aggressive and more physical right from the start,” said Summer League coach Sean Shelden. ” … How you stick in a rotation, how you stick in the NBA, is just playing like how he did tonight.”
In a subscriber-only story for The Denver Post, Bennett Durando breaks down the Nuggets‘ projected depth chart for next season. Durando has Christian Braun sliding into the starting lineup at shooting guard, with Russell Westbrook, Julian Strawther, Peyton Watson, Vlatko Cancar and Dario Saric as Denver’s first five off the bench. Westbrook will reportedly sign with the Nuggets after he finalizes a buyout with Utah and clears waivers.